Suspended lighting fixture



June 1966 F. L. GREEN SUSPENDED LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed June 22, 1964INVENTOR. FEEDER/615E GREEN TO/FNEVS United States Patent coliteManufacturing Corporation, San Leandro, Calif,

a corporation of California Filed June 22, 1964, Ser. No. 376,892 3Claims. (Cl. 248-342) This invention relates generally to lightingfixtures, and more particularly is directed to lighting fixtures of thetype that are suspended from a ceiling by a flexible cable or similarmounting means.

One object of the present invention is to provide a lighting fixture ofthe type described that enables a ready adjustment to be made so thatthe fixture hangs straight regardless of any unbalance or irregularityin the fixtures center of gravity.

Another object of the invention is to provide mounting means for alighting fixture which is readily adjustable to accommodate diffuserglobes of varying dimensions, in addition to providing theaforementioned balance adjustment.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdescription of the preferred form of the invention which is illustratedin the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It isto be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by thesaid drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a lighting fixture embodying the presentinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional side elevation view of the structure shownin FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation view taken along the line 3-3 as shown inFIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view similar to FIGURE 1 depicting a modifiedform of the invention.

Suspended lighting fixtures often include a flexible cable 11 or thelike depending from a mounting plate 12 secured to a ceiling 13 asdepicted in FIGURE 2. A light source such as an incandescent bulb 14 maybe mounted on the lower end of the cable 11 by means of a socket 16 orthe like which couples electrically to the cable 11 and is alsostructurally mounted thereon. The present invention relates to novel andimproved means for mounting a diffuser globe 17 or the like on alighting fixture for disposition generally surrounding the bulb 14.

It has ben found in practice that lighting fixtures secured to adepending flexible cable often tend to hang somewhat crookedly, becauseof irregularities in the position of the fixtures center of gravity.More specifically, slight irregularities in the weight distribution inthe socket 16, bulb 14, or in the globe 17 itself, may have the effectof placing the combined center of gravity of the fixture at someposition spaced from the central axis thereof. As a result, since thefixture is supported on a flexible cable and the center of gravity ofthe fixture will be disposed exactly vertically in line with the pointof support of the cable 11, the fixture is positioned at a tilt. Toovercome the foregoing problem, I have provided an adjustable supportassembly 18 which includes a mounting member 19 adapted for mounting ona suspended lighting fixture, support means 21 mounted on the member 19and having two opposed supporting surfaces 22 and 23 disposedrespectively on opposite sides of the member 19 in generallyhorizontally spaced relation therewith, and means for adjusting thehorizontal spacing between the supporting surfaces 22 and 23 and themember 19.

As shown in the drawing, the mounting member 19 3,258,239 Patented June28, 1966 preferably includes a pair of opposed clamp members 24 and 26having registering holes 27 therein to enable the clamp members to havethe flexible cable 11 pass therethrough with the clamp members restingon the socket 16.

As shown in FIGURES 1-3, the support means 21 includes a pair ofparallel spaced elongated members 28 and 29 passing between the clampmembers, and each having a pair of downwardly bent generally verticalstop portions 31 from which extend horizontal members 32 which definethe aforesaid supporting surfaces. A pair of connecting members 33 arerigidly secured between adjacent members 32 to form said support means21 into a substantially unitary member. Means such as the illustratedpair of screws 34 are provided for selectively clamping the clampmembers 24 and 26 together to secure the support meas 21 rigidly inrelation thereto.

The clamp members 24 and 26 are each seen to have respectively a flangeportion 38 and 39, each of which are provided with guide slots 41through which the elongated members 28 and 29 pass, thereby preventingtransverse movement of the elongated members between the two clampmembers.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the globe 17 has an annular shoulder 36 whichis adapted to be supported on the four members 32. The vertical portions31 closely engage the vertical side wall 37 which forms the neck of theglobe 17, as best depicted in FIGURE 1. It is noted that removal of theglobe 17 is readily accomplished by removing the bulb 14 from the socket16, and then raising the globe out of engagement with the supportassembly 18. The assembly 18 can then be moved into a generally verticalposition by bending the flexible cable 11, after which the assembly 18can then be moved longitudinally out of the neck of the globe 17. Theglobe is mounted by a reversal of this procedure.

When the globe 17 is mounted in position on the support assembly 18, anyunbalance in the way the globe hangs can be readily compensated for byadjustment of the support means 21. More particularly, the clamp memberscan be loosened and the means 21 moved slightly from one side to theother as is necessary to enable the globe to hang properly. After theproper adjustment is provided, the clamp members are tightened together.

An important feature of the present invention relates to means foradjusting the assembly 18 so as to enable accommodation of diffuserglobes of varying dimensions. In particular, and referring now to FIGURE4, there is shown a support assembly 18a which includes clamp members24a and 26a similar to those already described. A pair of separatesupport members 42 and 43 are independently secured between the clampmembers, each having respectively a pair of elongated members 44 and 46independently movable between the clamp members. Consequently, thehorizontal spacing of the supporting surfaces of the respective members42 and 43 can be adjusted independently of one another, whereby thesupport assembly 18a can be readily adjusted to accommodate diffuserglobes having supporting shoulders of varying diameters. The supportmembers 42 and 43 are of course adjustable in the same manner as thefirst disclosed embodiment of the invention 'with regard to correctingunbalance in the lighting fixture.

What is claimed is:

1. A means of supporting a light diffuser or the like provided withhorizontally opposed shoulder portions and arranged to be supported inspaced relation from -a ceiling comprising a su porting assembly, aflexible cable adapted for attachment to the ceiling to suspend saidassembly and having a light socket depending therefrom, said assemblyincluding a supporting member mounted on said cable at the base thereof,a generally horizontally elongated member mounted on said supportingmember for adjustment in opposite directions transversely of the cableand provided with surfaces at the ends engageable with shoulder portionsof a diffuser, and releasable means on the supporting member forsecuring said elongated member in adjusted position, said elongatedmember providing means fixedly relating said surfaces operable duringmovement of said elongated member in one direction to position one ofsaid surfaces closer to said cable and to position the other of saidsurfaces more distant from said cable.

2. A light diffuser supporting means in accordance with claim :1, inwhich said releasable means comprises vertically opposed clampingplates, one above and the other below the elongated member and saidreleasable means being operable .to selectively release and engage saidplates 'with said elongated member to respectively permit or preventhorizontal movement thereof relative to the plates.

3. A light diffuser in accordance with claim 2 in which the shoulderengaging surfaces of the elongated member are vertically offset andbelow the clamping References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATESPATENTS 1,5 68,279 1/ 1926 Herskovitz 248-343 1,576,543 3/ 19 26 Picker248-3 43 1,681,273 8/ 1928 B ady et al. a- 248-343 FOREIGN PATENTS 737,05 7 7/1943 Germany. 801,432 9/1958 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE iROY, Primary Examiner.

R. P. SEITTER, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MEANS OF SUPPORTING A LIGHT DIFFUSER OR THE LIKE PROVIDED WITHHORIZONTALLY OPPOSED SHOULDER PORTIONS AND ARRANGED TO BE SUPPORTED INSPACED RELATION FROM A CEILING COMPRISING A SUPPORTING ASSEMBLY, AFLEXIBLE CABLE ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE CEILING TO SUSPEND SAIDASSEMBLY AND HAVING A LIGHT SOCKET DEPENDING THEREFROM, SAID ASSEMBLYINCLUDING A SUPPORTING MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID CABLE AT THE BASE THEREOF,A GENERALLY HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED MEMBER MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTINGMEMBER FOR ADJUSTMENT IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS TRANSVERSELY OF THE CABLEAND PROVIDED WITH SURFACES AT THE ENDS ENGAGEABLE WITH SHOULDER PORTIONSOF A DIFFUSER, AND RELEASABLE MEANS ON THE SUPPORTING MEMBER FORSECURING SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IN ADJUSED POSITION, SAID ELONGATEDMEMBER PROVIDING MEANS FIXEDLY RELATING SAID SURFACES OPERABLE DURINGMOVEMENT OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER IN ONE DIRECTION TO POSITION ONE OFSAID SURFACES CLOSER TO SAID CABLE AND TO POSITION THE OTHER OF SAIDSURFACES MORE DISTANT FROM SAID CABLE.